It didn’t take Countdown long to tell us that Meachum was living on borrowed time. What we didn’t exactly know was how long he has left. Well, we learned the truth in Countdown season 1, episode 7.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Countdown season 1, episode 7
At the end of the new episode, Meachum decided it was finally time to be honest with Oliveras. He shared that he has a brain tumor, and that’s the reason for his headaches and the need for medication. However, he also made it clear that he is not interested in taking time off, which we already knew.
Meachum doesn’t know how long he has in Countdown
During the reveal, Oliveras asked how long he has to live since it’s a terminal diagnosis. That’s the thing that Meachum doesn’t know.
It could be weeks or months, as the doctor doesn’t know. So far, we know that he was diagnosed nine months before the start of the series, and Blythe mentioned in the latest episode that the task force had been working their investigation for months, so it’s possible that Meachum is close to a year living with the tumor.
The fact that the headaches are getting worse will mean that the tumor is getting worse. He could be closer to the end of his life.
Meachum wants to go out saving the world
Oliveras didn’t even question whether Meachum would be best taking some time off. However, Meachum did make it clear that that’s not what he wants. He brought up the idea of a beach and sunsets that the doctor brought up to him at the start of Countdown, and that’s not something on his mind.
He wants to go out knowing that he’s done some good in the world. He is gun-ho in the hunt, because he wants to be able to save a life or two. Or he at least wants the chance to do that.
This is going to be a heavy secret for Oliveras to keep, though. If Blythe found out the truth, Meachum would be off the task force, and Oliveras will know that she’s in trouble as well if it comes out that she knew and kept it to herself. There are liabilities with Meachum in the field, as she had already mentioned the possibility of having a migraine or blackout episode in the middle of a chase.
So, what will she do? Knowing Oliveras, she’ll keep it to herself and look out for Meachum throughout the rest of the investigation. I also could see Meachum being willing to sacrifice himself if it came to it in the Countdown season 1 finale.
Countdown airs on Wednesdays on Prime Video.
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